Mokgwapha
This seems to be the local African name for one of the tree aloes, possibly Aloe littoralis. From Botswana, we find that thieves have stolen the last trees from habitat.
As we approached Mmanoko from our assignment, we saw a Mazda van packed with cactus trees (mokgwapha), prompting us act. We followed the van for a while, taking pictures as we went, until we decided that BDF headquarters in Mogoditshane was safe enough to flag the van down. Mara and I asked the people in the van if they had a licence to commit such a rape of the environment and the destination of the cargo.
And lo and behold, the three men in the cactus van could not utter a word of Setswana. Not even “Dumela!” We proceeded to do our enquiry in English….
The point is that felling 100 trees of the species is no less harm than mowing down a pride of lions without permission. For the right eco-balance, species of both flora and fauna are crying out for conservation.
